For their summer
concert, the Seattle Men’s Chorus (SMC) commemorates Stonewall’s 50th
anniversary with pop music of the 1960s and a commissioned work. Executive Director
Steven F. Smith promises the Summer of 69
concert will be full of chart-topping
and culture-defining songs to send its audience dancing out the door.

Rosemary Jones: The summer of 1969 may have been called “The Summer of Love”, but it was also a summer of profound social change. What do you think were the most pivotal events that summer?

Steven Smith: Music events like Woodstock might have been part of a culture of love and openness for certain folks, but I think 1969 was about the distillation of righteous anger and action. Stonewall was a flash point for the simmering rage and frustration against discrimination in the LGBT community but it did not happen in isolation. At the same time, Vietnam War protests and rampant racial discrimination were roiling the country. The country was angry. What was pivotal was the need for change from the status quo.

Executive Director Steven Smith. Courtesy of Seattle Men’s Chorus

How do the songs selected for this concert
reflect what was happening beneath the surface, as well as the headline-making
events?

We wanted to
explore the sense of division and “coming-apartness” in the country at that
time. In addition to Stonewall, you had “hippies” and war protesters descending
on Woodstock, Nixon’s law and order campaign, and the unifying wonder of the
first moon landing. If you turned on the radio in 1969, the “Top 40” pop music
of the day reflected that culture clash in a way that you don’t hear today.
We’ve got the funk of Sly and the Family Stone’s “Everyday People” juxtaposed
with Frank Sinatra’s old school “My Way.” And Neil Diamond’s ultimate
sing-along “Sweet Caroline” and Marvin Gaye’s iconic “I Heard it Through the
Grapevine.” The music reflects the convergence of culture, sex, identity and
politics in a way that began to redefine America.

The concert also includes the new musical
work “Quiet No More.” Can you describe this piece?

It’s a suite of
music theatre style songs commissioned by more than 20 LGBT choruses around the
country, including SMC, for this 50th anniversary of Stonewall. It’s a bit of
history and a bit of forward-looking inspiration to continue the fight for
equality. Because the patrons of the Stonewall Inn (who became victims of
police brutality during the uprising) were gay and lesbian and trans folk and
people of color, we found diverse composers who reflected these identities to
create a collection of songs about what happened during the riot, what it felt
like and how it has inspired and reverberated in our community since then.

What’s the one song that you can’t get out of your head after listening to rehearsals?

For the finale we
wanted a sense of celebration and unity, so the classic Edwin Hawkins’ gospel
song “Oh Happy Day” has had me dancing and swaying all week. It’s timeless and
joyful.

Rosemary Jones has written about arts and culture in the Pacific Northwest for the Cornish Magazine, Capitol Hill Times, Encore, Examiner.com and others. Additional work can be seen at rosemaryjones.com.